Tropical Storm Edouard drenches East Texas, prompting rescues and power outages

Tropical Depression Edouard weakened after making landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border but unleashed substantial rainfall across portions of Texas, triggering widespread flooding, power outages, and emergency rescues. In Deep East Texas, Groveton recorded about 8.5 inches of rain in 12 hours as crews monitored pumps and potential outages. Liberty County and Tarkington reported 10–14 inches of rain and warned against floodwaters, closing schools briefly and urging residents to stay off roads. The Beaumont area and Jefferson County faced downed trees and rainfall up to 21 inches in some spots, with tens of thousands without power as crews worked to restore service. Authorities emphasized flood risks and cautioned around floodwaters, debris, wildlife, and obscured road conditions as the system slowly weakened toward a post-tropical state. Forecasters warned of ongoing heavy rain with flash flooding likely in low-lying and Piney Woods areas, potentially affecting travel through Thursday evening.